silent voices
by Marinna Luacus
Summary: The events of a victim's family trying to help track down the serial killer that divided them.


Principal Matters  
Prologue:  
Christine Dellink woke up in a cold sweat. Her body shivered, yet her mind remained calm.   
"After waking from a dream like that, it's a wonder I'm anywhere near calm," she murmured. Within the darkness, the dream slipped away. Christine stood and felt her sleepiness drain so she pulled on her robe and slippers. In the warmth of the hall, a chilling breeze blew in from her mother's room.   
"Mother," Christine whispered jokingly, "Mom, did we forget to close the win..." Christine turned the corner into her mother's bedroom and screamed.  
Hanging from the canopy bed was her mother's battered body, slowly drifting in the wind. She hung by her tied hands, off the carved knobs on the bedposts, and her feet were tied together. The frame of the canopy groaned with the weight of the body. An open window let a gentle breeze blow, which ruffled the blood stained hair and nightgown of a lifeless, Carol Dellink.   
  
Chapter One:  
  
Sara Dellink woke to the sound of her telephone ringing. She blindly reached out to her lamp and turned it on.   
"Alright, alright! I'm coming," she groaned loudly. When she reached her door, Spike her dog, perked his head.   
"Lazy dog. Why can't you learn to answer the phone?" Sara reached the kitchen telephone and picked up the receiver. Glancing over at the answering machine revealed that somebody had called six times, and she had slept through them all.   
"Hello? How may I..."   
"Sara?" A man's voice inquired hurriedly.   
"Yes." Spike came up and rubbed against her legs. She smiled at him, then placed her attention back on the telephone call.  
"Sara, you sound tired. Anyway, it's me, Alex. I think you should come out here."   
"Why? When?"   
"Now," Alex said anxiously.  
"Why?" Sara insisted.  
"I'd rather tell you in person but if you insist..."  
"I insist," she interrupted, ignoring Alex's warnings. He sighed and slowly started to speak.   
"Sara, your mother's dead. She was murdered. Listen, that's all I know. I think..."  
"How's Christine?" Sara asked. "Forget it. I'll be on the next plane out there," Sara's mind roared. She hung up on Alex and looked around confused.   
"Stop," She told herself, "I have to stay here, in the now." Sara picked up the telephone and called her neighbor.  
"Hi, something has come up, could you watch Spike for me?" She nodded as her neighbor replied and babbled on. Sara lost herself in thought and barely noticed when he finished. She hung up the telephone and walked back to her room. She reached under her bed and pulled out her suitcase. Her hand brushed up against the jewel her mother had given to her when she had moved to go to school. Since then, she had barely returned home. With it, she never felt alone, but now it evoked a deep sadness that Sara hoped never to feel. She had seen others feel it, but she had thought it would never touch her life. It had.   
  
  
Christine sat on the porch glider and drifted back and forth as slow as she had seen her mother's blood drip, into a puddle. Sara stepped out of the rented car and pulled her bags out. Seeing her sister, this way broke her heart. She used to be full of happiness, of life, but now she sat as if her will had shriveled and died. Sara walked into the house and dropped her bags. Alex, hearing this, rounded the corner and extended his hand. Sara grabbed it and he pulled her into a long hug.   
"You look tired," Sara observed. At least, she had been able to catch a few hours of sleep on the plane.  
"It's been hard, these last few days. Especially with Christine being..." He glanced wordlessly out to where she sat rocking back and forth. "I'm sorry to leave you in a time like this, but I have to leave. I left May with Ben."   
"Ouch, hope the building still there when you get back," Alex looked at Sara and laughed.   
"Only you could make me laugh in a time like this, only you." He and Sara exchanged a few more words and he left, saying goodbye to Christine on his way out.   
"Here we go," Sara mumbled.  
  
May T' beynth paced up and down the room. Ben looked at her and shook his head.  
"You're accomplishing nothing by doing that, and frankly you're driving me mad!" May ignored him and continued to pace. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at Ben with her colorless eyes.   
"Alex is here or close."  
"How do you know?" he asked.   
"I just do." A door closed behind May, and Alex walked in. May turned and smiled. She wrapped him in a bear hug. "What's happened?" she questioned Alex. He looked at her with sad eyes and sat down. He bit his lip and pushed away the haze of tears.   
"Carol is dead. She was killed like the others: Jamire, Nadia," Alex looked at May, and she started to pace once more.   
"I knew this was going to happen, I knew, I knew," May words trailed off into tears. Alex stood up and walked to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and walked away.   
"There's nothing you could have done to stop him," he soothed.  
"You don't know that. I don't know. I didn't even try. I didn't even..." May shook with sobs. Ben perked up and looked at May.   
"If you want to help, you have to go to the police." At the mention of the police, Alex cocked his eyebrows,  
"They won't believe her or us. We're misfits."   
"But they work with misfits, at times," Ben argued. May pace again and stopped when she reached the window. She gazed out it seeing everything and seeing nothing.   
"Aright, I will," May agreed with Ben. At that, May stopped pacing and finally, sat down.  
  
Chapter 2  
Maria Prest and Kilian Stino walked up to the Dellink home, leaving the car sitting in front of the house. Maria leaned forward and rang the doorbell. She looked over at Kilian who was looking up and down the block.  
"Nice view," Maria noted the sun falling behind the yard of the next house.  
"Yeah." The door opened and Kilian stepped forward, "Hello, Ms..."   
"Sara, Sara Dellink, may I help you?" She looked at Kilian.   
"Yes, Ms. Dellink. I am Homicide Investigator Kilian Stino and this is my partner, Maria Prest. Where here to ask you a few questions and investigate the murder seen."   
"Please, come inside." Sara opened the door, and let the two people in. "I am sorry but this will have to be quick, I'm taking my sister to a hotel where we'll be staying for a while." Sara rubbed her arms. She walked the investigators to the kitchen. "Coffee?"   
"No thank-you" Both replied. The trio sat down at the small breakfast table. Sara looks up and sees Christine walking into the room. She stands and walks over to her sister. Christine leans on Sara and she walks her over to the table. Kilian stands up and offers the seat to Christine nods and sits.   
"I wish to ask you and your sister a few questions. Okay?" Kilian paced back and forth behind Christine. Christine rubbed her neck and nodded.  
"But sir, could you please stand in front of me. I don't like you behind me." Christine perched her head on her hands.   
"Of course," Kilian walked to the front of the table. "I believe it was you, Christine, who found your mother?" She nodded in agreement. Kilian continued, "We, Maria and I are investigating a series of homicides. We have been sent to your case because we believe your mother is the third death in a series that we know about. Your mother has fallen prey to a serial killer that has left the same mark on his other to victims." Christine looked up and spoke,  
"Why would our mother be a victim to a serial killer? Everybody she knew loved her, and she was always helping people..." Christine last words ended in heavy sobs. Sara gathered her in her arms, and looked at Kilian angrily,  
"Was there anything else, Investigator, that you wanted?" Sara tried to comfort her sobbing sister. Maria stirred in her seat,  
"We came here to ask permission to search your house, again and to tell you so you would here it from us and not on the next news broadcast. All we want to do is to help."   
"If you want to search, fine. The police didn't find anything. I am leaving. If you wish to find us, I've reserved a hotel on the rim of town. Goodbye." Sara helped her sister out of the chair and walked out to the car. Luckily, she had packed it before they came. The two investigators walked behind with Sara.   
"Please, we're only trying to help." Kilian called after her. Sara stopped and turned around.  
"I understand, but I guess we can't be around when you're helping." Sara kept walking until she reached the car. She placed Christine in walked over to the driver's side. Maria walked over to her, " Wait!" she called out. "I understand what you are feeling but please, if you let us do our job, I believe we can catch this guy before he kills another person." Sara looked over at Maria,  
"I gave you permission to do what you have to. It doesn't matter, I am going to sell the house, if it's still worth anything."   
"But, to do our job we are going to need your help, think about it." Maria turned around and walked away. Sara shook her head and stepped into the car.   
  
  
He watched his target pass by his table. She paid her usual tip and walked out of the café. He placed down the paper he had been reading and followed her out the door. He ran her name through his mind, again.   
"Lenhardt, Rina. Rina Lenhardt." A smile crept up on his face. He loved to call them by their first names to see their surprise when he slit their wrist, then if he was in the mood, their throats. It was amazing on what he could find out about these people without them knowing. Rina turned around and looked behind her. He did not flinch; he knew she could only see the background and fail to see him. That was the power of choosing on how you wish to be seen. He smiled again. This one would be a great deal of fun. She thought that she was so safe. That idea would soon be shattered.   
  
  
Maria walked up and down the examiner's table. She looked up at Zell Sulfi, the local medical examiner.   
"Have your determined the victim's cause of death?" Maria looked at the file.   
"The many of them, yes. She has seemed to be choked, but that, did not kill her. The killer proceeds then, to cut her wrists, legs, and beat her. She died of loss of blood and trauma." Zell nodded grimly as he looked at Carol, for the last time. "I plan to send her to the morgue today. Is there anything else you need?"   
"No," Maria shook her head. "Did you find anything unusual, though?"  
"Yes, the same mark that was on the other victims, a shadow figure. The figure looks like a man in a cape, and mask or something. See?" He pointed to a point at the body's chest area. "Burned in, right above the lungs. But unlike the others, this did not kill her; it seemed this time he wanted her to die slowly. Each body is getting more and more violently and slowly killed."  
"Thank-you," Maria said. "Could you send her case to the office? I'll pick it up later."   
"Sure. I hope you catch this guy soon. I really am starting to dislike his handy work." Zell sighed and there was a knock on the door. He opened it and Kilian walked in. He smiled at Zell and then looked at Maria.  
"I think we have a break, there was a cluster of clues, it looked set-up. This guy is getting more and more cocky." Maria cocked her eyebrows at her partner.  
"But the cluster was set-up, this will only let us know what he wants us to know." Killian reached into a bag he had and pulled out a file.   
"No, but the guy left a ring. This was not part of the cluster or part of the victim's. It didn't have any fingerprints but it's a start." Maria took the picture from her partner. He opened the door and he steeped ahead of her. She looked back at Zell.  
"Thank-you again, Zell. See if you can get me her file, or a copy of it." He nodded and she walked out following her partner. Maria examined the picture as they walked out to their car. As they stepped in, the radio chimed off,  
"Hey Maria, Kilian are ya there?" Maria placed down the picture and picked up the receiver. Kilian started the car's engine.   
"Maria here, what's up?" The radio crackled.  
"We got a group of people here who think they could be of help in your investigation of those homicide cases." Maria looked over at Kilian.   
"We've got time," he said, "and we've only got one lead, and no suspects."  
"But what if this is just another hoax or something."   
"If it is," he shrugged, "we can say we did something."   
"Base," Maria waited, "we'll be there in fifteen minutes."   
  
  
May paced back and forth, while Ben and Alex sat in the two chairs in front of the desk. Alex looked out the window and watched the birds sing in the trees.   
"Even with the killer and death are roaming about, life outside of human touch keeps going on." Alex sighed and looked over at Ben. He toyed with a pen. He groaned and stood up,   
"May why are you pacing now?" He asked. She turned around at him and paced backwards.  
"I'm pacing because I'm not sure they'll believe me, and if that person really sent the message, and if they don't believe me, will they send me to another place, like I was in before. I don't want to go back there. I promised I would never go back there. I promised myself and all the others that I wouldn't go back, and that I wouldn't ever stop listening and that if I did go back I would listen to all the doctors who say they aren't real. Cause I know they all are." She inhaled deeply, for she forgot to take breaths again, in between her words.   
"Remember to breathe when you speak, it makes it easier for us to understand and you don't have to gasp all the time." Alex scolded her from his seat. Ben rolled his eyes and sat back down. May sighed and continued to walk up and down. She heard the door click behind her. She spun on her heels and faced the people coming in. Maria and Kilian walked in and looked at the group.   
"My name is..."   
"Your name is Kilian," May said to the man, " and your name is Maria." She said to the women. "Both of you are homicide investigators and you have been tracking this guy who has killed two others besides Carol. They were Jamire and Nadia." May inhaled deeply again and continued. "His crimes have become more violent and you think he his going to strike again and soon. That's why I came here. I want to help you. My name is May, May T'beynth " May sat down in the third seat and allowed Maria and Kilian move towards the desk and absorb all she had said.   
"How did you know all that?" Kilian inquired.   
"I know because I know and sometimes because they tell me and sometimes Alex and Ben tell me." Alex nodded at his name and Ben raised his hand in greeting.   
"Who is 'they' and how do you 'know because you know' all of this?" Maria continued.   
"I can't explain to you, yet. I can only do it when I trust you completely but for now you must trust me that I have come to help you catch the Shadow Killer. The others and I know him as that because that is his mark, as I believe you know."   
"Yes," Kilian said, "I wish to have you start by telling us everything you do know and perhaps clear up anything that might be unclear."   
  
  
It had been two hours of talking and May was becoming tired. Kilian looked up at her and smiled.  
"Would you like to continue this discussion tomorrow?" He gestured to the clock, "About 9:30 in the morning?" May looked over at him, and nodded. He and Alex came to their feet, when May abruptly stopped. She fell into her seat and shivered.   
"I think he has don it again. At..." She looked around the room, at the clock, and the room number. At any number, she saw in or around the room. Names were recorded too. "At 1037 B, um," she paused. "Brichwood Drive. Please, if you trust me go there now." There was a knock on the door, a man walked in.   
"Kilian, Maria, there was a 911 called that was cut off. A women said that a man was killing her." Maria looked at May then at Kilian.   
"What was the address?" she asked. The man looked down at a sheet of paper he carried.   
"The address was 1037 A, at Brichwood Drive."   
"Thank-you," she said. " We're going get back-up there, now." The man nodded and left the room. Kilian stood,  
"We'll finish this tomorrow."  
"No," Maria said. Kilian looked over at her shocked. Usually they both agreed on everything. "No, May you come with us."   
"I can't, " she said. "I can't without Ben and Alex. They are my help. I will be useless without them."  
"Fine, let's go then." The group stood and walked out of the precinct house, following Killian's lead.   
  



End file.
